Soil Health

Iowa Farmer Utilizes Cover Crops to Prevent Soil Erosion

An Iowa farmer is breaking up his rotation, reducing erosion, and providing additional forage benefits for his cattle by planting cover crops. Erik Helgerson, who farms near Lansing, Iowa, tried a unique sequence of cover crops this year on 11 acres near his home. Read more in this article from the Waukon Standard (Waukon, Iowa).
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Soil Health Defined

Soil health is a term that everyone seems to be confused about or have their own opinion. Soil health is about three things: soil organic matter (SOM), soil microbes and organisms, and plants. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.
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[Podcast] Combining Cover Crops & Specialty Crops

Cover crops aren’t just limited to being used with traditional cash crops like corn and soybeans. This week’s podcast, from Hoosier Ag Today and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, discusses the types of cover crops to use with specialty crops, cover crop establishment and crop rotation.
Cover crops aren’t just limited to being used with traditional cash crops like corn and soybeans. This week’s podcast, from Hoosier Ag Today and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, discusses the types of cover crops to use with specialty crops, cover crop establishment and crop rotation.
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Canadian Growers Can Do Better with Cover Cropping

Farmers in Western Canada received good marks for increasing organic matter in their soil but a grade of D when it comes to cover cropping. The Soil Conservation Council of Canada released its first national soil health report card this spring — the first attempt to evaluate the state of Canada’s soil since the 1980s. Read more in this article from the Alberta Farm Express.
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Fixing the Water Cycle with Cover Crops

Fixing the water cycle—easier said than done, with so many demands on water resources around the world. In the U.S., many areas are starting to feel the pinch of reduced water quality or quantity, or both. Read more in this article from Organic Farmer.
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What to Know Before Planting Cover Crops

We all hear the benefits touted about cover crops- less erosion, having a living plant in the ground at all times, alleviating compaction, retaining nutrients for the next crop, giving food and shelter to microbes in the soil, and so on. It is a great list and will do some miraculous things to the soil. Read more in this article from The Daily Review (Towanda, PA).
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Dryland Cropping Systems & Cover Crops

Can we grow a cover crop that will provide many soil health benefits, including less soil water evaporation, higher water infiltration, better water holding capacity and weed suppression on only the moisture that would have been lost anyway? We can, if the cover crop mix is properly designed and planted and terminated timely. Read more in this article from the Dodge City Daily Globe (Dodge City, KS).
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Less Erosion Means Healthier Soil

Let’s take a closer look at how improving soil health on our farmland acres can have a dramatic effect on reducing soil erosion and rainfall runoff that result in downstream flooding and property damage. During the past few years, as a result of climate change, rainfall totals have increased in north-central Iowa. Read more in this article from the Globe Gazette (Mason City, IA).
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[Podcast] Sweet Corn Benefits from No-Till, Cover Crops

This week’s podcast features three Indiana farmers as they discuss planting cover crops with sweet corn, how no-tilling works in different soil types, retaining moisture with cover crops, and more.
This week’s podcast features three Indiana farmers as they discuss planting cover crops with sweet corn, how no-tilling works in different soil types, retaining moisture with cover crops, and more.
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The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 9-12, 2024! Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 32nd Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. Jan. 9-12, 2024. Experience an energizing 4-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led No-Till Classrooms and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.

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